Entrepreneur Giancarlo Valentino spotted wearing a Jacob & Co

Giancarlo Valentino, co-founder of the global fashion powerhouse Valentino, was recently spotted on the wrist with a Jacob & Co Epic X Racing reference EX100.20.WR.OY.A — a watch that doubles as a piece of kinetic sculpture and makes no attempt to be anything quieter than that.

The Epic X Racing sits within Jacob & Co's broader Epic X collection, a line launched to translate the brand's signature oversized aesthetic into something more mechanically credible. The ref. EX100.20.WR.OY.A features a 44mm case constructed from titanium paired with orange rubber — the color designation in the reference (OY suggesting orange and yellow accents) tying it visually to the motorsport palette that inspired the line. The manually wound skeletonized movement is suspended within the case by the collection's defining X-shaped titanium bridges, offering an unobstructed view of the gear train from both dial and caseback. Water resistance is rated to 30 meters, appropriate for a watch designed more for the pit lane than the dive boat.

From a collector standpoint, the Epic X Racing occupies an interesting position. Jacob & Co is a brand that divides opinion — serious horologists sometimes dismiss the house as flashy, while a younger, design-literate collecting demographic has embraced it precisely for its theatrical confidence. The Epic X line represents one of the brand's more mechanically earnest efforts, stripping away the gem-setting and astronomical complications that dominate the catalog's upper tiers in favor of raw movement architecture. That restraint, relative to Jacob & Co's own range, gives it a different kind of appeal.

For Giancarlo Valentino, the choice reads as coherent. A co-founder of one of fashion's most architecturally minded houses, he gravitates toward a watch where structure and visual drama are the point. The orange rubber strap and skeletonized movement are the watch equivalent of a runway piece that also happens to be wearable.

The Jacob & Co Epic X Racing ref. EX100.20.WR.OY.A carries a list price of approximately $22,160 USD. On the grey market, pricing tracks close to retail given the brand's niche but steady demand, with pre-owned examples occasionally moving at a modest discount depending on condition and completeness.